Are you Drinking Too Much?

I thought I would give you an update on my Weightloss.  I started the Diet Solutions Program last Monday and I found  it incredibly easy to follow and I couldn't believe how much I could eat !!

I weighed myself yesterday morning and Wow, I've lost 3 pounds, I wish someone had told me about this before

Have a look and see what you think - CLICK HERE

Also, an interesting article on Water

Water

If ever there were a magic potion for weight loss, water would be it. Every good nutritional program insists that you drink a minimum of 8–10 glasses of water per day. Most people don’t drink the recommended amount because they don’t fully understand how important water is in maintaining good health and losing weight.

Our bodies are composed of approximately 75% water. Any variation from the natural balance causes serious disruptions in many metabolic processes that are crucial to weight loss.

• Water helps the body metabolize stored fat.

The kidneys cannot function properly without enough water. When they are not working at full capacity, the liver must take over some of the load. The liver’s function is crucial to weight loss and if the liver has to do some of the kidneys’ work, it cannot adequately do its job (metabolizing fat). As a result, the liver metabolizes less fat, more fat is stored in the body, and weight loss becomes slow or stagnates.

• Water is crucial in ridding the body of waste.

During weight loss, the body has a lot of waste to eliminate: excess fat and stored toxins. Adequate water consumption helps the body flush out these wastes.

• Water is a natural diuretic.

Many people retain fluid and become dependent on synthetic diuretics to lose excess water weight. Surprisingly, drinking enough water is actually the best treatment for water retention. When it doesn’t get enough water, the body perceives a threat to its survival and begins to hold on to every drop of water that it can. If you give your body the amount of water that it needs, it will quickly release any retained water.

• Water is a natural laxative.

When the body does not get enough water, it takes it from other internal sources. If the colon becomes dry, stool becomes dry and difficult to pass, resulting in constipation—possibly with gas, bloating, and painful elimination. If the body receives sufficient amounts of water, the colon will be rehydrated and proper bowel function restored. To experience significant weight loss and optimal health, it is crucial to drink a sufficient amount of water every day. By “sufficient,” I mean that you should drink half your body weight (in pounds) in ounces of water each day: (body weight, in pounds/2). For example, a 200-pound person should drink 100 ounces of water.

In addition to this baseline recommendation, I suggest that you add 8 ounces of water for every 8 ounces of caffeinated beverage consumed and another 8 ounces if you have exercised. Also, drink water at room temperature. Cold water will sit in your stomach until it has warmed to body temperature; only then will it move to the small intestine for absorption. Many people mistake thirst for hunger because both sensations tell the brain that the body is in need of energy. So, a person who is dehydrated may misinterpret this feeling and end up overeating. Several studies have been done in which people were told to drink water at the first sign or feeling of hunger. In most cases, the hunger quickly passed, and subjects lost 35–40 pounds in less than a year. If you do not drink the recommended amounts of water for your weight and experience hunger pangs during the day, then chances are your body is thirsty. Because water is a natural appetite suppressant, drink 8 ounces of water at the first sign of hunger and 15 minutes before the start of every meal.

Although drinking the appropriate quantity of water is essential, it is equally important to drink high-quality water. Unfortunately, no matter where you live, tap water is contaminated with heavy metals, chlorine, and waterborne toxins. I highly recommend that you filter the drinking water in your home. If you buy bottled water, some of the best brands are Evian, Volvic, and Fiji. Glass containers are best to keep stored water fresh and pure. Plastic containers can leach plastic by-products into the water, affecting taste and purity, especially if exposed to direct sunlight, so always keep bottled water in a dark, cool area. Never purchase water in smoky plastic containers, which leak estrogenic chemicals (which can disrupt hormone levels) and phthalates (which have been linked to asthma and allergies) into the water.